QUEENS, N.Y. — East Texas A&M University had a successful day at Carnesecca Arena, winning both of their matches on Friday. The Lions first defeated UAB and then overcame Rider, both in four sets, marking their first three-match winning streak since the 2024 season.
This season is now the first 4-1 start to the season for the Lions since the 2019 season, when they also started 4-1. East Texas A&M is now also 2-0 over UAB over the last four years, while Friday was the first ever meeting between ET and Rider.
MATCH ONE: EAST TEXAS A&M 3, UAB 1
The Lions dropped the first set 16-25 but rallied to win the next three sets: 25-23, 25-22, and 25-15. The Lions finished with a season-high 13 service aces, exceeding their average of 8.33 aces per match. After initially falling behind, the Lions fought back from a 3-1 deficit in the first set, led by a block from
Samantha Mosley (Atlanta, Ga.) and kills from
Rendi Fetty (Farmersville) and Mosley. However, UAB responded with a scoring run that included four kills from Makayla Meister, ultimately taking the first set.
Ariana Brown (Conroe) contributed early kills and served consecutive aces that helped the Lions secure a lead in the second set. The teams battled closely, with the score tied at 21-21 before the Lions clinched the set thanks to a block by
Haley Mullaney (Decatur) and
Sabine Wenzel (Melrose, Mass.). The Lions maintained their momentum in the third set, with Mosley and Brown leading the charge, and closed the set 25-22. In the fourth set, the Lions quickly established a strong lead and finished with a commanding 25-15 win.
Brown led the Lions with 13 kills, three service aces, and a season-high 18 digs. Mullaney recorded 26 assists, nine kills, three aces, and eight digs, while Mosley tallied 11 kills and two blocks. Fetty served four aces without an error and added four kills.
Jade Washington (Waco – Midway) contributed to the defense with 18 digs.
MATCH TWO: EAST TEXAS A&M 3, RIDER 1
The Lions began strong in the second match of the day, but lost the first set 24-26 after a tightly contested battle. Once again, the Lions surged back, winning the second set 25-14 with a powerful performance that included multiple kills from Brown, Mosley, and Wenzel. The Lions continued their dominance in the third set, finishing 25-21 after a strong finish that included crucial plays from
Allie Ihloff (Tulsa, Okla.) and Mullaney.
In the fourth set, East Texas A&M opened with six straight points, including an ace from Brown and significant contributions from Ihloff and
Ellie Thurman (Henderson, Nev.). Despite Rider's efforts to close the gap, the Lions held on to win the set 25-22, thanks to a decisive kill from Thurman.
Brown again led the team with 12 kills and two service aces. Mosley added 10 kills with an impressive .429 hitting percentage and recorded six blocks, while Washington excelled defensively with 20 digs. Mullaney surpassed her season average with 28 assists, and Wenzel contributed with five blocks.
COACH JOE MORALES' THOUGHTS
"Today's matches were definitely challenging, despite the break, playing two matches in a day is very trying, especially just being exhausted for the team. But they battled, they fought, and we wanted to come out and compete."
"We got our middles involved a little early, and our defense played really well. Both matches we started out rough a little bit, and took us a while to find our groove, but I was really excited towards the middle of the match and even towards the end of the match as we were just passing, and we kept it interesting a little bit at times, but our middle action came alive, we went to a couple different lineups and personnel between the two match."
"UAB was very, very heavy in the hitters and the attackers, and they had some really good swingers on the antennas, but Jade played excellent defense and our setter distribution of the ball was moving in the direction that we needed to go to, and we utilized our block pretty well, but overall I got to say we just executed our serving pass game, and that was something that kind of took a hold middle of the game, or at least in set two, and then kind of go from there, and that's the way both matches today went, first one being against UAB, and then the second one being against Rider."
"We just kept on grinding, and even in the second match against Rider, we talked about being a gut check, being tired, and both teams played back-to-back, and just who had a little bit more heart, and I bet on our team every day and twice on Sunday."
"We did a really good job of fighting through some things and ultimately going after the W, and so it was really good matches that we played today, and different people showed up in different matches, and it was definitely competing to its finest, and we look forward to tomorrow against St. John's. The biggest thing is just rest and recovery, and get it again tomorrow, so definitely proud of this team for the effort and resilience that they had today to go after and get those W's, so all in all, good day."
UP NEXT
The Lions look to continue their winning streak as they take on the hosts, St. John's on Saturday at 1 p.m. eastern.
-ETAMU-
